


A deduction of Hackett's scarce background

by Shackett74



Series: The perks and challenges of writing [2]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Background - Freeform, Character Study, Deductions, Gen, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shackett74/pseuds/Shackett74
Summary: I grew tired of how little we know about one of the two most important humans in the Reaper War: Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett.So I decided to write down what we can discern about him with a deductive method and plausible suggestions. This is thus not-quite-a-fic in the ordinary sense.All "facts" are based on in-game information if it doesn't says otherwise.
Series: The perks and challenges of writing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101779
Kudos: 3





	1. Why bother?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BioWare](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=BioWare).



**Why bother?**

Since no one else does, I suppose. And honestly I didn't either before, and couldn't get rid of the debriefing-talks in ME3 fast enough when I played. And yes, I definitely got more time over than I'd like since I'm able to indulge myself like this! (But it's actually quite fun to reacquaint myself with the scientific method of deduction. =)

But he is an appreciated ME-character among the gaming community. It's quite unusual, isn't it? That so many agree for once, I mean. ;-)

Neither is Steven Hackett the only character I wish we knew more about. That said, I simple like to immerse myself into ambitious world-building and nitty-gritty details in those. Star wars and LotR when I was a kid. Then Wheel of Time around fifteen years ago and most recently the Mass Effect Universe.

But after a lot of PT's pressing-the-space-bar, I began wondering why this top ranking officer seemed invested in our Shepard. Why go to such lengths to back Shep up (and btw, for me Shepard is female first and foremost. In part because the first digital draft of Shepard's body actually was female. And in part because of Jennifer Hale's exceptional VA).

 **Anyway. Over to BioWare's Hackett**

Despite being made into a slightly distant, private character by BioWare, or _in spite_ of it _,_ the devs unfortunately reveals little about Admiral Steven Hackett. They do _hype_ him though, don't they?

Writing him as a _legend_ , a great leader and strategic mastermind that f ex participated in the First Contact war. And......that's basically all we get to know. As it is, we don't even get to see him without the cap once.

But _why_ is he supposed to be a 'legend' in the Alliance, **BioWare**?  
 _How_ and _why_ did he participate in the FCW? Who is this character?  
Give examples _why_ this important character became the highest ranking officer in the Alliance. Fill us in. It benefits the entire gaming experience and feel of the universe. It shouldn't be too demanding to fix his part. 

There is all the reason to get to know more about Steven Hackett when we get **a whole lot more** on David Anderson, right? 

And Anderson _is_ an important character in Mass Effect. Thing is, so is Hackett, and grow increasingly important as the trilogy progress.  
He has Shepard's back at least as much as Anderson, but take over the role of mentor as the games progress. And in ME3, Admiral Hackett becomes the second most important character for the outcome of the war, next to Shepard. Because it's Hackett’s strategic skill(s) that keep the Alliance in the war. (I will deduce and present why in chapter 3 or 4.)

The chances of survival without either Shepard or Hackett would have been minimal. Even with Anderson. 

Question is why BW gives us perhaps **a fifth** of Hackett's life and career compared to Anderson's?

 **To sum it up:** It's an uneven presentation of an essential character to BioWare's Mass Effect story, who's background seem forgotten by BW together with several other characters and events.

Let's start with his childhood, shall we? (Next chapter).


	2. What do we know of Hackett's childhood and parents?

A word on how I organized the chapters: First of all, these deductions will be based on in-game facts, and I aim to clearly state every time it's not, f ex a personal theory.

By using deduction and plausible guesses based on what we know directly or indirectly from the games and codex, we are actually able to figure out more than what first meets the eye; "Facts", like that he _must_ be fluent in Spanish f ex (despite its not mention in-game), but which falls between the clearly stated (which aren't much) and any plausible assumptions (what _likely_ occured).

I will try to separate all three as clearly I can. And plausible guesses mixed with my own angle will be clearly stated as _my personal deduction_.

 **You** are _most welcome_ to reflect with me or share your theories by writing a comment below!  
 **So here we go:**

 **What we actually know of his childhood:  
** 1\. Born and raised by his "single mother" in the "megatropolis" of Buenos Aires in 2134.   
2\. Steven's mother dies in a pandemic when Steven is merely 12.  
3\. His father is either _dead_ or otherwise _absent_.   
4\. Steven is then put in some sort of combined (advanced) Middle school/high school; _Advanced Training Academy for Juveniles_.

 **Deductions and plausible guesses on his childhood based on the above stated** **:**

*As a child and youth he must have been **bilingual** (fluent in two languages), or at least able to _understand_ Castellan **Spanish** without flaw.

* Considering the talents he possess later in life, he must have been a bright kid.

* Until recently I personally always thought his father died before, or at the time of, Steven's birth. But I'm not so sure anymore. Could it have been a one-night stand?  
"Single mother" might also mean that Steven's parents never married, OR might have married before the husband suddenly dies. _What say you from English speaking countries?_ _Does "single mother"_ _imply something more/else in English"?_

* On the other hand... Since Steven has an **English-sounding name** , we can probably deduce that _either_ his father or mother has English or North American descent. _What do YOU think about his parents?_

*It seem clear that he never got to know his dad for some reason or another, nothing is stated about it in the trilogy. 

* Then there's Buenos Aires. The capital of Argentina which had grown into an intercontinental megatropolis a hundred years into the future. So we can't be completely sure but it seem likely that one parent had _some_ Latin descent. Why otherwise place his origin in a, by all means international, megatropolis in South America? It would have been easier for BioWare to simply make him grow up in an English speaking city if they wished for him to have _all English descent_. Thus the writers probably wanted to give his descent an enigmatic touch. But that is just a plausible guess, as with so much else on Hackett, we simply don't know.

* By making Buenos Aires his birthplace, BioWare hint at one parent likely have had (some) Latin roots. _What do YOU think??? It's indeed only a plausible guess._

* Had the character been raised with two parents, the death of one might have affected him less. But when your _only_ parent dies while you're still a child, it affects you deeper. One doesn't have to be a psychologist to realize that.  
The question is _how_. It's hard to draw any further conclusion than that, but I will bring this up again in the chapter on **Hackett's character**

**  
Conclusion:**

\- Given Steven's place of birth, circumstances, and name, we can conclude that he has **both** English/North American and Latin descent _to some extent_. 

\- That **he didn't _know_ his father** (other than by name or picture).

\- And that Steven Hackett is **bilingual**.

\- He was an **intelligent** child.

Have I forgotten something?

 **Next** chapter **:** Orphan and studies.


	3. Studies and growing up at the Academy

**The orphan and student years**

The few background "facts" gets even fewer...

But there are actually several things we _can_ deduce : Growing up in a giant Buenos Aires 110 years from now, he'll still identify as a **porteño** (~ 'Buenos Airen', where the Argentinian culture is taken to it point, so to speak, have their distinct traits).

He loves his Buenos Aires and Argentina (they are a super-patriotic people - but in the good sense, _I think)_

Argentinians today is known as the Italians of Latin America, not only because a majority of the porteño's (at least) do have European descent. But also because they gesture a lot and wave their hands when they talk. Cheek kisses are perhaps even more common than hugging, and they're very social. (All this according to Americans who have lived there.)

There's also a fire to their language and accent (which by the way they call **castellano** , _not_ merely "spanish"). 

Porteños socialize a lot outdoors and drink their **mate** while talking f ex football. 

So this is - at least a reminiscent of - the culture and atmosphere in which Steven Hackett is born and raised. 

has played (and likely enjoys) **soccer**. Plus he knows a thing or two about **dancing** \- a _tango_ , in the least. =)

And being an Admiral, he knows his waltzes and foxtrot from all the balls, too.

  
**What do we _know_? **

5\. The child Steven is placed in a an "Advanced Training Academy for Juveniles" in 2146.

6\. His "superior" knack for "science(s)" and "leadership" is discovered early.

7\. He "enlists" after six years in "2152". It is implied in the codex _but_ unclear, whether he spent all the six years at the Academy.  
  


**Plausible guesses (made on the in-game facts and so on)**

* Since nothing is mentioned about staying with relatives f ex, or doing something else for any extended period of time between age 12/13 and 18, the best guess is that he spends his years as a diligent student on the Academy.

* This also fits well with the in-game background info we got on his "superior talents" for "science(s)" and "leadership". 

* A _personal_ deduction of mine derives from the above mentioned: that his _drive_ and _ambition_ awoke, and went hand in hand with his years on the Academy, and the discovery of his multitude of talents.

* That, plus his grief and sorrow after the death of his only parent. Because he had nothing left to do but to bury himself in the world of knowledge - his studies. 

* It wouldn't be surprising if he was an A-student straight over. Which mediocre student, would ever end up as Fleet Admiral or with command of a fleet on his own in the Mass Effect Universe?  
That said, Albert Einstein was not to have been the most brilliant or ambitious kid in school. ;)

 _What do YOU think, was Steven an ambitious student hellbent on getting A:s?  
  
_ * From what we can tell directly and indirectly from the games he seem to have a wide range of knowledge though. foremost sciences, and history. 

* A note on the Advanced Academy-life: Although there is no details on his life as a student, I think we can safely deduce that the students got to try different sports.

* Given his physique (strong legs and thighs, hips and back, he must be familiar with sports like soccer (and he's Argentinian, right ;) ) and probably running.

* Another plausible guess we have no details on from game or BW, but fits very well with his personality, background and physique, is this:  
In a giant city like Buenos Aires there must have been a *multitude of different sports and opportunity to find something everyone like.

*So a _personal hypothesis_ (don't want to make it a *plausible guess* because there's no in-game support for it) is that the young Steven also tried *Kendo and martial arts, and became hooked for life. Why?  
  
Because it also *explain his strong physique (back) and very *composed, calm demeanor. This since it's **_key_ **in all martial arts - as well as swordsmanship and Bushido (the Way of the Warrior) - to **know yourself** , and learn how to *aim one's focus inward (or wherever the individual prefers). 

**Conclusion** :  
\- By deduction: Spends 6 years studying before graduating.

\- Enlists 2152 at age 18. 

\- His talents in "sciences" and "leadership" is discovered during his years at the Academy, and encouraged.

\- By deduction: He tries different sports and although we can't say for sure which (except soccer perhaps) it's obvious by his shape as an adult that he practice and exercises to stay fit and active. 


	4. Career in the System's Alliance 2152 -

**Here we'll begin deducing. And although it's interpreted through my "glasses" so to speak, _you_ can use this method on any character, universe aso as long as you gather all the facts first. **

**You'll even see how real life facts can help nuance our umderstanding on Hackett’s background and possibly some of his character, despite being set in a fictional universe (look under Buenos Aires).**

**Steven (Diego) Hackett: Military Career from 2152-**

  
**What we _know_ from in-game:**

8\. Enlists 2152 and "volunteers for high risk-missions to colonize space beyond the Sol system" between 2152 and 2156 - 4 years.

9\. Becomes a "commissioned second Lieutenant in 2156" at the newly built Arcturus station.

10\. ..."And soon proved his ability in the First Contact War". Once more we get nothing else than that. 

11\. "Decorated officer" - unknown how and why...

12\. Is already a full Admiral, in command of his own fleet - the Fifth - at the time of Mass Effect 1 (2183). 

13\. Promoted to 'Fleet Admiral' after successful initiative with his Fifth Fleet (and a few other Naval battle groups) in 2183, at the Battle of the Citadel.

**What is possible to deduce?**

1) Put 2 of the few things we now have deduced; _diligent student_ \+ _inclination for sciences_ , together with _"high risk missions beyond Sol."_

**What do we get?**

* It's easy to see a young explorer/scout with good knowledge in sciences like _astrophysics_ , _astro-biology_ and other _sciences_ plus perhaps experience from a marine bootcamp. All this would make young Hackett a perfect candidate to participate in space explorations for four years. 

* The young Hackett obviously had an adventurous trait, if he volunteers for "high-risk missions", right? And he most certainly must be fearless.

* It _could_ even be possible that _he_ activated one of the _relays_. But that isn't something we can ascertain from the scarce info we have.  
Although I have suggested it in a fic of my own (Through the Relay).

* He's a "decorated officer" but it's impossible to know if it is _plural_ , if it has to do with _First Contact war_ or f ex _space exploration.  
_ Or even later in his career.

**Conclusion:**

\- Young Hackett's many years as a student of sciences, among else, and a likely marine boot camp in 2152, made him perfect for _space exploration_.

\- _Fearless_ and _adventurous_ he volunteers for high-risk missions, and for four years (2152-2156) he proves his abilities, before doing it again during the First Contact War.

\- He is also a _decorated_ officer, however unclear why and when.

\- Neither do we know how or when he became Captain, Rear Admiral or full Admiral over the Fifth Fleet.


End file.
